Obesity increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD), however, whether adipose tissue relates to dyslipidemia, and consequently to cardiovascular events remains unknown. Thus, we investigated the association of adipose tissue with circulating lipoproteins and triglycerides (TG) in subjects without CVD. 384 participants from the KORA-MRI study (mean age 56.2 ± 9.2 years; 41.9% female) underwent whole-body 3T-MRI. Visceral (VAT) and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) derived from T1-DIXON-sequence using a semi-automatic algorithm. Total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and TG were measured. Linear regression was applied to examine the relationships between adipose tissue, circulating lipoproteins, and TG, adjusting for risk factors. VAT was associated with total cholesterol (per SD increase) (ß = 0.39, p < 0.001). Total adipose tissue (TAT) and VAT were inversely associated with HDL (ß = −0.09, p = 0.009; ß = −0.14, p < 0.001), and positively associated with LDL (ß = 0.32, p < 0.001; ß = 0.37, p < 0.001). All adipose tissues were associated with TG (ß = 0.20, p < 0.001; ß = 0.27, p < 0.001; ß = 0.11, p = 0.004). Stratified analysis by sex and body mass index (BMI) was confirmatory in women and in individuals with BMI < 30. Our results suggest that adipose tissue plays an important role in increasing CVD risk independent of BMI, whereas gender imbalance may be explained by accurate characterization and quantification of adipose tissue.

Hepatic iron overload can cause severe organ damage; therefore, an early diagnosis and the identification of potential risk factors is crucial. We aimed to investigate the sex-specific distribution of hepatic iron content (HIC) in a population-based cohort and identify relevant associated factors from a panel of markers. We analyzed N = 353 participants from a cross-sectional sample (KORA FF4) who underwent whole-body magnetic resonance imaging. HIC was assessed by single-voxel spectroscopy with a high-speed T2-corrected multi-echo technique. A large panel of markers, including anthropometric, genetic, and laboratory values, as well as behavioral risk factors were assessed. Relevant factors associated with HIC were identified by variable selection based on LASSO regression with bootstrap resampling. HIC in the study sample (mean age at examination: 56.0 years, 58.4% men) was significantly lower in women (mean ± SD: 39.2 ± 4.1 s⁻¹) than in men (41.8 ± 4.7 s⁻¹, p < 0.001). Relevant factors associated with HIC were HbA1c as well as prediabetes for men and visceral adipose tissue as well as age for women. Hepatic fat, alcohol consumption, and genetic risk score for iron levels were associated with HIC in both sexes. In conclusion, there are sex-specific associations of HIC with markers of body composition, glucose metabolism, and alcohol consumption.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) remain the leading cause of morbidity and mortality globally, placing an immense burden on health care costs worldwide. The emergence of therapeutic ultrasound-based therapies in the CVD management represents a promising innovative strategy beyond current established approaches. This paper explores three distinct modalities of ultrasound-based therapies-high-intensity focused ultrasound, extracorporeal shock wave therapy, and low-intensity pulsed ultrasound-each characterized by unique acoustic parameters and mechanisms of action tailored to specific therapeutic outcomes. High-intensity focused ultrasound was shown to be beneficial as an adjunct in the treatment of myocardial infarction and arrhythmias. It has also been investigated for the in vivo treatment of resistant hypertension, symptomatic aortic valve stenosis, arterial stenosis, tumors, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and external cardiac pacing. Extracorporeal shock wave therapy was shown to be beneficial in the treatment of chronic refractory angina pectoris, while low-intensity pulsed ultrasound was shown to be beneficial in dissolving blood clots and improving blood flow in the treatment of acute pulmonary embolism, despite its association with an increased risk of bleeding. Ultrasound-based therapies are, therefore, a potential adjunct and comparatively safe adjuncts for managing challenging CVD cases. Further investigations are essential to validate their long-term effectiveness and safety, particularly for high-risk individuals susceptible to postprocedural complications.

Iron-related disorders of the liver can result in serious health conditions, such as liver cirrhosis. Evidence on the role of modifiable lifestyle factors like nutrition in liver iron storage is lacking. Thus, we aimed to assess the association of habitual diet with liver iron content (LIC). We investigated 303 participants from the population-based KORA-MRI study who underwent whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Dietary habits were evaluated using repeated 24 h food lists and a food frequency questionnaire. Sex-stratified multiple linear regression models were applied to quantify the association between nutrition variables of interest and LIC, adjusting for liver fat content (LFC), energy intake, and age. Mean age of participants was 56.4 ± 9.0 years and 44.2% were female. Mean LIC was 1.23 ± 0.12 mg/g dry weight, with higher values in men than in women (1.26 ± 0.13 and 1.20 ± 0.10 mg/g, p < 0.001). Alcohol intake was positively associated with LIC (men: β = 1.94; women: β = 4.98, p-values < 0.03). Significant negative associations with LIC were found for fiber (β = −5.61, p < 0.001) and potassium (β = −0.058, p = 0.034) for female participants only. Furthermore, LIC was highly correlated with liver fat content in both sexes. Our findings suggests that there are sex-specific associations of habitual dietary intake and LIC. Alcohol, fiber, and potassium may play a considerable role in liver iron metabolism.

Background: Specification of adipose tissues by whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed and related to pulmonary function parameters in a population-based cohort. Methods: 203 study participants underwent whole-body MRI and pulmonary function tests as part of the KORA (Cooperative Health Research in the Augsburg Region) MRI study. Both visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) were derived from the T1-Dixon sequence, and hepatic adipose tissue from the proton density fat fraction (PDFF_hepatic). Associations between adipose tissue parameters and spirometric indices such as forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) and Tiffeneau-index (FEV1/FVC) were examined using multivariate linear regression analysis excluding cofounding effects of other clinical parameters. Results: VAT (β = −0.13, p = 0.03) and SAT (β = −0.26, p < 0.001), but not PDFF_hepatic were inversely associated with FEV1, while VAT (β = −0.27, p < 0.001), SAT (β = −0.41, p < 0.001), and PDFF_hepatic (β = −0.17, p = 0.002) were inversely associated with FVC. PDFF_hepatic was directly associated with the Tiffeneau index (β = 2.46, p < 0.001). Conclusions: In the adjusted linear regression model, VAT was inversely associated with all measured spirometric parameters, while PDFF_hepatic revealed the strongest association with the Tiffeneau index. Non-invasive adipose tissue quantification measurements might serve as novel biomarkers for respiratory impairment.

To investigate the association between Aorta (Ao), pulmonary artery (PA) diameters and the PA/Ao ratio with right (RV) and left ventricle (LV) volumetric properties in subjects free of cardiovascular diseases. In the KORA-MRI study, 339 subjects (mean age 56.3 ± 9.1 years; 43.7% female) underwent whole-body 3T-MRI. Ao and PA were measured on DIXON sequences. Cvi42 quantified cardiac functional parameters from a SSFP sequence. The relationship between ascending (AAo), and descending aorta (DAo), as well as PA diameters, and RV and LV function were assessed using linear regression models adjusted for age, sex, and cardiovascular risk factors. AAo and DAo diameter were associated with LV end-diastolic volume (β = 4.52, p = 0.015; ß = 7.1, p ≤ 0.001), LV end-systolic volume (β = 2.37, p = 0.031; ß = 3.66, p = 0.002), while DAo associated with RV end-diastolic volume (β = 6.45, p = 0.006) and RV end-systolic volume (β = 3.9, p = 0.011). PA diameter was associated with LV end-diastolic volume (β = 4.81, p = 0.003). Interestingly, the PA/Ao ratio was only associated with RV end-diastolic and end-systolic volume (β = 4.48, p = 0.029; ß = 2.82, p = 0.037). Furthermore, we found different relationships between men and women. Ao and PA diameter were associated with LV and RV volumetric parameters in subjects free of cardiovascular diseases suggesting that ventricular volumetric performance directly relates to vascular diameter properties.